Tips and Tricks from "The Warming Experts"

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Tag Archives: warming bags and wraps

Spray Foam, Spray Insulation, Expanding Foam and Foam sealant are common terms for insulation, which is sprayed into place unlike traditional sheets or rolls of insulation, which must be cut and fixed into place. It is produced from two liquid components that, when combined and sprayed, produce an expanding foam froth. This expanding foam froth then hardens within 3-5 minutes to form a rigid foam with excellent insulating properties.

What are the benefits of spray foam over other types of insulation? Well… here’s a few to start with!

Foam has a higher R-Value per inch thickness. In fact, closed cell foam has almost twice the R-Value of fiberglass or cellulose.

Buildings insulated with spray foam are more comfortable and use less energy.

Foam fills and seals gaps and cracks to provide an air seal. Fiberglass does little more than filter the air as it passes through.

Closed cell foam provides a better moisture seal than all other insulation.

Foam provides better sound deadening than fiberglass.

Foam does not attract or provide a nesting area for pest like other insulation materials.

Spray foam seals small gaps to keep out insects and other small critters.

Spray foam expands to easily fill in around other objects and completely fills oddly shaped spaces.

Closed cell foam increases the structural strength of a wall

When rising cost of energy demands insulation products that exceed traditional methods, and homeowners demand better building products for their homes, spray foam insulation is the economical energy efficient answer.

Just another expert idea from Guy Calor (The Caulk King), and Caulk Warmer!

It’s so cold, even polar bears and penguins are being kept indoors. The fiercest outbreak of arctic air in two decades is now known to all as a deadly “polar vortex” that can paralyze air travel and close roads and schools has locked almost the entire United States under subfreezing temperatures.

Forecasters said that the effects of the system, a swirling mass of North Pole air that has pushed unusually far south, would be felt by as many as 187 million people … more than half the country’s population.

This is exactly the kind of weather that makes our products so handy. For those of you still brave enough to venture into the cold to work, you are going to want to plug in your warming bags and wraps first thing in the morning… and leave them on all day at the job-site so you can get your work done quickly, efficiently, and without waste… Pro-Tip: You can even keep your lunch nice and toasty in your CaulkWarmer bag while you work through the morning!

We have a couple other good tips and tricks to keep you working through the polar vortex.

LAYERS. It is important to keep as warm and dry as possible. Having a number of thin warm layers will allow you to insulate better and lets you strip off easily if the temperature rises. Start off with thermal underwear and work your way up to you warmest winter coat. Don’t forget your hands: mittens are better than gloves and will help you prevent frostbite.

TECHNOLOGY. New technology nowadays can also help you stay warm. Hand warmers and heat packs can be purchased from any outdoor store and will help you keep toasty. You can also buy jackets with battery-powered heating systems for extra protection. Don’t forget a good pair of boots: make sure they are both waterproof and insulated to keep out the cold.

BATTERIES. For those of you that drive to work, check your car battery. Batteries that are more than three years old often can’t be jump started once they are exposed to sub zero temperatures for an extended period. So get to garage and change the battery. Stay as warm as possible while indoors: try eating soup or having a hot drink once you get inside. It’s important to keep warm and energized!

Just another expert idea for working through the Winter from Guy Calor (The Caulk King), and Caulk Warmer!

Since the actual yield of the foam is based on many factors, you can get the best results if you control material application temperatures. Generally the spray foam canisters should be stored at room temperature and should be kept between 60-80F during use.

It is also very important that kit foam be applied in LAYERS. Consider 1 layer to be 2 cured inches or less. A layer applied too thick can cause a long cure time and poor adhesion (sagging), but more importantly it can cause combustion. When the chemicals combine at the nozzle a chemical reaction occurs that produces lots of heat. In fact, often times you can feel the heat radiate from the foam as it cures, especially in confined spaces. Because the outside of the foam cures first, the heat from the reaction still taking place inside cannot escape as easily and a thick application may trap too much heat and ignite the foam and/or the material it was applied to if combustible. Generally you should wait about 5 minutes between the application of each layer, allowing full time to cure. This is where using a Reasor Products 100 & 200 Board Foot Kit Twin Pack will save you time and money by keeping your foam at the perfect 80F between applications .

The 100 & 200 Board Foot Kit Twin pack product specifications are:

Material: Heavy Duty Nylon Shell CPAI 84

Middle: Heat Reflecting Flexible Barrier

Insulation: Closed Cell Polypropylene Inner

Lining: Nylon Velcro® Closure Handy Cord Storage Pocket

Color: Red

Maximum Temp 105°F ±

Size: 7.5” High x 27” Long

Voltage: 120 V AC – 15 Watts

*Will maintain chemical at perfect 80F

and… you can order yours today at caulkwarmer.com!

Just a few more expert ideas from Guy Calor, the Caulk King and CaulkWarmer

Another tie probably won’t cut it. I mean, after all, he is your Dad. He taught you everything you know, but maybe not everything he knows, right? Well… there still might be a surprise or two you can come up with, and that’s why we have compiled this little list of the most unique tools Dad didn’t even know he needed. Here are our five favorite ideas for unique additions to his toolbox.

5) Grillbot
Don’t be thinking that this is one of those solutions in search of a problem. Properly cleaning a grill is hard, particularly a huge gas grill with enough surface area to land a small plane. The scraping and brushing alone is enough to wear your Dad out. This is why he’ll appreciate a three-motor rechargeable robot that whisks smartly around the grill with rotating bristle brushes to eliminate caked on grime and gunk. A built-in timer/alarm will alert when the work is done, and its bristles won’t damage grill materials. Life’s too short to spend time cleaning grills. Get Dad back to the party!
grillbot.com, $99

4) Dynatrap Ultralight DT150
Ordinary bug zappers are annoying, graphic reminders that you’re executing critters every two seconds throughout your garden party. There’s a better way. The Dynatrap Ultralight uses no pesticides and is whisper quiet. It simply draws insects in with a UV fluorescent bulb and a dose of carbon dioxide, which mosquitos love. Once they’re in the vicinity of the trap, a small fan pulls them into a chamber, where they quickly dehydrate and die. No zapping, no loud humming. Nothing to annoy Dad. You gotta like that!
dynatrap.com, $89

3) Bushnell SolarBook 850
Tuck this tablet-sized solar charger into a backpack or back pocket, or even just the basement for emergencies, and Dad can be ready for any power crisis. This collapsible system provides 2 USB outputs and five photovoltaic panels that stack inside a rugged protective case. Leave it in the sun for right around three and a half hours, and he will have enough juice in the onboard battery to charge his smartphone a couple of times, and his camera or GPS up to 5 times. With all the weather weirdness in the world something like this could come in handy!
bushnell.com, $350

2) Bacon Candles
That’s right. Bacon candles. You gotta give Yankee Candle credit where it’s due. If there’s one scent that completes a man cave, it’s bacon. And this recent entry into Yankee’s line of “Man Candles” will ensure the scent of crispy treats completes your Dad’s Fortress of Solitude… or maybe just his workshop. Bonus… it won’t raise anyone’s cholesterol even one point!
amazon.com, $38

1) CaulkWarmer
Has Dad ever asked himself any of these questions?
Would I like to keep my products flowing with improved quality?
How can I put an end to popped caulk tubes and excess manlift runs?
Is it possible to put an end to aching muscles and cold weather delays?
If so, then a Reasor CaulkWarmer bag is for him. These bags look like the size of the bring-your-own grocery bags that the environmentally conscious among us take to the store, but with a flap on the top that folds over. You plug it in, set the thermostat, and it keeps everything ready for good product flow and improved quality. There are other bag sizes as well that will keep your five gallon bucket of joint compound or paint ready to go, or two gallon or one gallon or 20# cylinder warmers. It’s the perfect father’s Day gift idea for the Dad who wants to work smarter… not harder.
caulkwarmer.com. $85

Just another expert idea from Guy Calor, the Caulk King andCaulkWarmer

the contaminants on the surfaces of the joint (like dust, pollen, etc.)

the ability of the caulk to “wet” the surfaces of the joint for good adhesion

the ability of the caulk to properly cure and develop its ideal physical properties

Ideal Weather Conditions
Plan to caulk in ideal temperatures whenever possible. What is ideal? 50°F and rising and 90°F and falling. Be sure to pay attention to the surface temperature where you’ll be applying the caulk. It should also fall within that idea temperature range.

Wet / Snowy Conditions
If it has just rained or snowed, allow the surfaces to completely dry before caulking. Wet surfaces will make proper adhesion difficult and may inhibit proper curing of the caulk. In the same way, avoid applying caulk – even in ideal weather – if rain or snow is expected within 24 hours. If you need to get the caulking done, go ahead and do it. Just make sure to cover your work with a plastic tarp to prevent moisture from getting onto the caulk and causing it to wash out.

Weather Extremes
It is never good practice to apply caulk in extreme temperatures. Whether hot or cold, the joint will not be at its ideal size, the caulk will not cure correctly (which causes performance problems), or the caulk may develop blisters. Any weather-related problems with the caulk can be fixed fairly easily, but are also avoided altogether through simple weather watching.

Warm Dry Surfaces
Make sure the substrate is clean and dry. In cold weather a thin layer of ice can form on the substrate and if you apply caulk on top it, the water between the caulk and the substrate will prevent the caulk from adhering. You can use a hair dryer to melt the ice and warm the substrate or, even better, clean the substrate using either methyl ethyl ketone or acetone (available at home stores). This will not only get rid of the ice, but ensure the surface of the substrate is clean, so the caulk can bond tightly.

Warm the Caulking Tube
Keep your tubes of caulking warm until just before you want to use them. Even high performance cold weather caulk won’t flow smoothly or easily when it’s cold, so it won’t get right down into the joint. Of course, we think you can find the perfect warming bags for all your adhesive and sealants on the job-site here: caulkwarmer.com

Just another expert idea from Guy Calor, the Caulk King and CaulkWarmer

The days of plaster and lathe were pretty much gone as soon as drywall came along and builders discovered they could finish walls very quickly, without waiting for plaster to dry. Today’s drywall gives a smoother, cleaner surface, and it is much easier for the DIY homeowner to install… especially if you have the right materials and right conditions (humidity and temperature) to take full advantage of one of the finer features of drywall; the tapered edges. As manufactured today, the long edges of drywall are slightly tapered so that when two sections of drywall are joined (tapered end to tapered end), it will create enough of a recess to accommodate drywall tape or mud, otherwise known as joint compound, as a finishing material, filling that space and creating a seamless join. Cold weather and winter conditions can affect the way you can work with drywall. If you want your drywall job finished properly, (and who doesn’t?) we have a couple of recommendations for you that specifically refer to interior walls, partitions and ceiling drywall installation.

Recommendations:

1) Thickness – Half-inch drywall panels are pretty much the standard thickness for interior walls. However, when installing drywall on a ceiling, you may want to use half-inch or even 5/8” inch thick panels to prevent sagging. Sagging can become a problem even with extra fasteners, and any texturization (Popcorn anyone?) or other types of heavy surfacing material can add to the weight problem. So… what you need to remember is, when you’re working against gravity… think thick.

2) Curvature – There is also a much thinner drywall, 1/4″ inch thick. While not appropriate for the more robust requirements of a ceiling installation, this drywall is excellent for installation on slightly curved surfaces. If a tighter curve is required, you can try slightly dampening (damp… not wet!) the surface to make it more flexible. If you are working toward an extreme curve, like an arch, 1/4″ thick drywall can be scored about every half inch to achieve the desired effect. An added benefit to this method is that the more scores there are on the back, the fewer ridges there will be on the front that you have to cover with finishing material.

3) Code Standard – Thicker drywall, up to 3/4″ inch thick is also available and it’s typically referred to as “fire resistant drywall.” It may be that rooms such adjacent to garages or other potential sources of combustion are required to have fire resistant drywall, according to your local building code. Where a vapor retarder is required, use foil-backed gypsum board, vapor retarder faced mineral wool or faced-glass fiber insulation batts. When a polyethylene vapor retarder film is installed on ceilings behind gypsum board it is important to install the ceiling insulation before the gypsum board. Failure to follow this procedure can result in moisture condensation on the backside of the gypsum board, which will cause the board to sag

4) Humidity – The interior temperature of your application site shouldn’t be any colder than 50 degrees for at least 48 hours before taping and finishing. This will allow the drywall to be completely… well… dry. This means that you should start your 48 hour countdown only after any texturing or priming has been applied and the previous coating has dried completely.

5) Temperature – If you use a setting type joint compound in cold weather you can can avoid many cold weather related problems. And, of course, the use of warming bags, and wraps for all your ready-mixed joint compounds and textures will protect them from freezing in storage and make all these materials more fluid and easy to apply. It should be no surprise that we believe products like CaulkWarmer are perfect for this part of any cold-temperature drywall installation. If you absolutely MUST use a localized temporary heat source, the temperature should not exceed 95 degrees F (35 degrees C) in any given room or area, and heaters should not be allowed to blow directly on wall surfaces because excessive localized heating can cause joint compound to dry too rapidly resulting in cracking and localized delamination